1. Field
Embodiments relate to an obstruction-determining apparatus for preventing a mobile robot from becoming obstructed and a boundary-estimation method and medium using the obstruction-determining apparatus, and more particularly to a obstruction-determining apparatus which can determine whether a mobile robot is obstructed in a niche and enable a mobile robot to easily escape from an obstacle if it is determined that the mobile robot is obstructed in the niche, and a boundary-estimation method and medium for estimating the boundaries of an obstacle with a niche using the obstruction-determining apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, mobile robots have been widely commercialized not only for industrial purposes but also for domestic and business purposes. As a result, a variety of types of mobile robots such as cleaning robots, guide robots, and security robots have been developed.
Mobile robots perform their functions while autonomously navigating in an indoor environment. Mobile robots can recognize walls or obstacles with the aid of a sensor or with reference to a map input thereto in advance, and can thus effectively travel from place to place while avoiding such obstacles.
Conventionally, a plurality of sensors have been used to detect an obstacle or a step difference, and thus to prevent a mobile robot from colliding with the obstacle or falling over. In this case, however, a mobile robot may not be able to recognize an empty space or a niche under the furniture as an obstacle, which is a problem. The term “niche”, as used herein, denotes an empty space between the floor and an object that is placed above the floor.
A mobile robot may be obstructed in a niche when an upper portion of the mobile robot cannot pass through the niche, even if a lower portion of the mobile robot can pass through the niche. In this case, a sensor of the mobile robot does not recognize the niche as an obstacle, and, thus, the mobile robot attempts to keep traveling toward the niche, thereby becoming obstructed in the niche and applying an excessive load to a driving module of the mobile robot. As a result, the driving module of the mobile robot may be severely damaged.
For example, a cleaning robot is likely to be stuck in a niche under furniture near the wall while performing a wall-following function.
Once a mobile robot is stuck in a niche, a user must pull the mobile robot out from the niche or drive the mobile robot to escape from the niche through manual manipulation.